UK Police Looking Into Virtual 'Gang Rape' Of Girl's Avatar In Metaverse, But Is Such An Act Even Possible?

In a real world where police are swamped with crimes to investigate, now some in the UK think it's time to add policing the virtual reality world to their workload, including gang rapes of avatars.

According to the Daily Mail, British police are, for what's believed to be the first time in its history, a virtual sex act on an avatar, a digital rendering of a person, in a Metaverse video game.

The act, police say, took place on the avatar of a girl under 16 and the act has allegedly left her distraught. The British press are calling the act a "gang rape" of the avatar and that there are no physical injuries.

So what's the crime?

British police contend the girl suffered psychological and emotional trauma such as a real-life rape victim would suffer, but such an accusation deserves pushback considering "personal bubble" defense mechanisms Facebook instituted in 2022 after, as the Mail, the same Mail that is now throwing around "gang rape," Metaverse users complained of virtual harassment and "virtual groping."

In its latest "Exclusive" report on this Metaverse alleged gang rape, the Daily Mail doesn't even mention the Metaverse pivot to a four-foot bubble around avatars to prevent unwanted avatar advancements.

But British citizens are told that "The Government needs to look at changing the law to protect women and children from harm in these virtual environments," according to Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Donna Jones.

Donna is adamant that the UK needs "to update our laws because they have not kept pace with the risks of harm."

OutKick's Charly Arnolt argued Thursday during her "OutKick The Morning" show that virtual reality users also have the power to pull off the mask and return to the real world.

Legal analyst and attorney Lexie Rigden says this virtual gang rape of an avatar "sounds like an Onion headline," a reference to the media outlet that specializes in ridiculous fake news headlines.

"What's next," Rigden continued. "We're going to prosecute people for theft who play Grand Theft Auto? This is ridiculous. Real rape victims, if they could just take off the headset and be safe ...I think it's a commentary on our culture that turns every offense into a trauma."

Rigden added that if there was verbal harassment between two people who knew each other and there was a way to add validity to it, there might be some legal recourse, but notes complaining of virtual physical touching is ridiculous.

"Take off the headset, this is honestly laughable" she fired back.

Police claiming they need new tools to police the Metaverse should raise some flags

National Police Chiefs' Council's Child Protection and Abuse Investigation Lead, Ian Critchley, told the Daily Mail that this new Metaverse alleged "gang rape" of an avatar means that British police need new laws to fight such behavior.

This quote should raise alerts in your head.

"The passing of the Online Safety Act is instrumental to this, and we must see much more action from tech companies to do more to make their platforms safe places," Critchley added.

The Personal Boundary for Horizon Worlds game on Metaverse has a four-foot boundary that other avatars cannot enter. The boundary was instituted in 2022. / Metaverse / Facebook

Nowhere in the story does Critchley address Metaverse's four-foot bubble. Did the girl turn off the bubble? Did the bubble not work on her headset? What's the charge for one avatar groping another avatar? How do you prove the person on the other side hasn't been hacked and the avatar is being controlled by some Russian scumbag hacker who likes to grope other avatars.

You really want to go down this path, Ian? You going to wrongfully jail your citizens for this stuff when hackers have impersonated users?

It's probably time to pump the brakes on talking laws and the use of "gang rape" in the virtual world.

The cops wanting new laws without answering a few questions should send up red flags.